Folding push car or wheeled chair



Feb. 11,1947. I 2,415,629

FOLDING PUSHCAR OR WHEELED CHAIR Filed May.12, 1945 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Feb, 11, 1947. R, c, F 2,415,629

FOLDING PUSHCAR 0R WHEELED CHAIR Filed May 12,1945 2 Sheets-Shet 2 Patented Feb. 11, 1947 2,415,629 popp ng rusH out on WHEELED CHAIR R n d a c rd, Al esle ea Q'mn n land Application May 12, 1945, Serial No. 593,34 "111' Great Britain December 13, 1944 3 qle ms- 1 This invention relates to pushcars .or wheeled chairs, such as are required for children and invalids, and more particularly to the collapsible type comprising a pair of connected lazy-tongs frames and pivotally mounted wheels which when the frames are col-lapsed can be folded underneath the latter in a position substantially parallel therewith.

The object of the present invention is to provide a pushcar or wheeled chairof the kind herein referred to which besides being of a simpler and less expensive construction is very considerably lighter in weight and capable, moreover, of being folded in a much morecompact state.

A pushcar or wheeled chair of the type herein referred to is characterized according to this invention in that the wheels at each sideare both sprung and carried from the ends of a blade spring hinged about a fore and aft axis .at or near :the middle of its length to the bottom member of each frame.

The invention also includes the provision of means for locking and supporting the fram s in their extended state and at ,the same time locking the hinged blade springs with thewheels in the vertical position of use.

The improved pushcar or wheeled chair isfurther characterized by the provision of afolding foot rest and handle ,whichwhen the pushcar or chair is folded or collapsed can be moved in the one case into a position to support the wheels in a position substantially parallel therewith and in the other case into' a position which considerably reduces the over-all length of the folded pushcar or chair and providesaconvenient means for carrying it.

In the accompanying drawings,

Figure 1 is a general view showing their-nproved pushcar or wheeled chair in the extended state.

Figures 2 and 3 are detail views on a larger scale of the locking means inthe locked and unlocked positions respectively.

Figures 4 and "5--are end -views-thereof respectively.

Figuresfi and? are side and-plan views-thereof r sp c v ly i th eldyi Q sw 1ee$ EQP Figures 8 and 9 are side and part sectional edge views of one of the wheels.

Referring to the specific construction shown in the drawings, the improved folding pushcar or wheeled chair includes a pair of connected collapsible frames spaced apart in parallel planes, each frame being of lazy-tongs construction comprising upper and lower horizontal members a, b pivotally connected at the ends with front and rear members c, d respectively. The front members c are extended downwardly, as shown in Figure 1, to support a folding foot rest e, whilst the rear members 11 are formed with upward ex tensions d which are pivoted by means of joints to the handle members i of a folding handle 1. The two frames are spaced apart in parallel planes and connected together by means of transverse members one, h, at the front where the lower horizontal members I) are pivoted to the front members 0, another, 2', at the back where the lower horizontal members b are'pivoted to the rear members d, anda third, It, between the free ends of the ,ezgtensionsd of the said rear member d.

Each pair of wheels is pivotally mounted about a fore and .aft axis, the wheels I of each pair being carried by brackets or hangers m from the ends of a blade spring n extending in a fore and aft direction and ,having a hinged connection with the adjacent horizontal member b of the frame. ,For this purpose, as shown in detail in Figures 2 and 3 .and 4 and 5 the blade spring, is secured at or about the middle of its length to a hinge, one plate 0 of which is secured to the frame member I) whilst the other plate p is extended and bent over on itself to receive the blade-spring n and to forma stop q which, when the wheels are in the vertical position of use,jabu ts against the back of the other hinge plate 0, as

seen in Figure 4.'

ZIhe'rrieans employed for locking the wheels in the vertical position and at the same time'suppcrting the ic' onnected frames in the extended state, asshown in Figure 1, consists of locking bars 7' pivoted one to each side to the frame memberlbat r 'and'having a series of holes 7 atoneend for engagement with a peg g on the ffrontmemberc. The other end 1 ofeach locking bar is'extended beyond the pivot r to engageeitherbehind the stop sq on'the hinge plate p, as seen in full lines inFigures 1, 2 and 4. The

inclination of the frames in the vertical plane canbe readily adjusted by engaging one or the other of the series of holes r in the locking bar with the peg yon the member 0.

"The seat -and back rest consist of a length of fabric, such as canvas, which is attached to and suspended hammockwise between the front and .rear transverse members h, 70. One end of the fabric is permanently secured to the transverse member 1 in which case the length of fabric, after passing around the front transvers member h 'and being turned back to form the seat and backrest, is detachably secured by its other end to turned into a position in which their other ends are clear of the stop plates of the hinges, see Figures 3 and 5. The blade spring at each side can now be turned about the axis of the hinge to bring the wheels into the folded position beneath the frame.

The pushcar can then be folded forward about the pivots u, '0 into the collapsed state shown in Figures 6 and '7, and the foot-rest e folded back underneath to support the wheels. The handle I is in effect double-jointed at v and so' that when the push-car or chair is folded the handle f can be turned backward about the pivots If thereby very materially reducing the over-all length of the folded push-car or chair. Where, in the alternative arrangement above described the hammock seat and back rest is detachable at one end, it can be pulled forward around and underneath the folded pushcar and attached to one of the transverse members thereby enclosing the pushcar.

In-order to provide sufficient side support for the seat and to keep the over-all length of the pushcar when folded as short as possible, the upper member a of each side frame, which may be of a different section to the others to form an arm rest, is bent downwardly at each end, as seen in Figure 1, for pivotal connection with the front and rear members a, d.

As shown in Figures 8 and 9 the wheels Z may each be made of a pair of pressings secured together by riveting tubular projections Z integral with the one in holes 1 in the other, the bosses of said pressings enclosing a self-lubrieating bearing Z 2 I claim:

1. A wheeled pushcar or chair of the character described comprising a collapsible structure adapted to support a seat and back-rest, and having downward extensions at the front a footrest carried by said extensions and adapted when said structure is collapsed to fold rearwardly underneath the same, a blade spring arranged longitudinally of and at each side of said structure, said springs being'hinged thereto about fore and aft parallel axes, a wheel mounted at each end of each of said springs, said wheels being adapted to fold underneath said structure about said axes, and means for locking said structure in its extended state and at the same time looking said bladesprings with the wheels in position of use. 2. A wheeled pushcar or chair of the character described comprising a pair; of vertically collapsible' frames connected together parallel with and at a distance from each other and adapted to support a seat and a back rest between them,

each of said frames comprising parallel upper and lower members and parallel front and rear members, said front members being extended downwardly and said rear members extended upwardly, a foot-rest carried by the extended ends of said front members and adapted when the frames are collapsed to fold underneath them in a rearward direction, a handle pivotally connected with the extended ends of said rear frame 3 members and adapted when the frames are collapsed in a forward direction to fold in a rearward direction substantially parallel and co-extensive therewith, resilient means hinged to the said lower members about a fore and aft axis, said means extending parallel therewith and adapted to carry a wheel at each end, and means pivoted in said lower members and adapted to lock said frames in their extended positions and at the same time to lock said resilient means with the wheels in position of use.

3. A wheeled pushcar or chair of the character described comprising a pair of vertically collapsible frames connected together parallel with and at a distance from each other and adapted to support a seat and a back-rest between them, each of said frames comprising parallel upper and lower members and parallel front and rear members, said front members being extended downwardly and said rear members extended upwardly, a foot-rest carried by the extended ends of said front members and adapted when the frames are collapsed to fold underneath them in a rearward direction, a handle pivotally connected with the extended ends of said rear frame members and adapted when the frames are col lapsed in a forward direction to fold in a rearward direction substantially parallel and co-extensive therewith, a blade spring hinged to the lower member of each frame about a fore and aft axis and extending parallel therewith, a wheel carried by each end of each spring, and a strut pivoted in each of said lower members, one end of said strut being adapted to engage the front member of each frame to lock the latter in the extended state and the other end of said strut being adapted to lock the blade spring with the wheels in position of use.

I REGJIQALD CLARENCE FORD.

. 9 REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 958,423 Nauts May 17, 1910 1,023,692 Walden Apr. 16, 1912 1,610,612 Kuniholm Dec. 14, 1926 919,880 Kaufman et al Apr. 27, 1909 579,528 Willis Mar. 23, 1897 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 8,869 British Apr. 12, 1910 810,999 French Jan. 9, 1937 

